'Record of Ragnarok': Lord Shiva controversy leads to removal of anime from Netflix India?

Netflix's Record of Ragnarok was one of the most awaited anime that released on June 17. The story revolves around a tournament arc between humans and literal Gods from mythology and theology. The anime is facing backlash since the Gods are taken from the religions that are followed worldwide. Even before the release, the streaming platform made some changes in the trailer when it came to Hindu God Shiva. Further, the anime is now no more available in India to avoid controversy. Read further to know more Record of Ragnarok controversy. 

A look at the Record of Ragnarok controversy

As per Reddit user, u/11Luminatex, there were some major changes that took place in the trailer where the streaming platform removed the scene of Shiva. Earlier, in the first trailer that is now deleted, there was a scene where Shiva's angry face is shown but in the new one, they have removed it. It was replaced with a shot of LuBu and Sasaki. The official Netflix trailer won't be available for the people accessing it from India. Check out the scene and the second trailer. 

(Image Courtesy: u/11Luminatex)

On the other hand, the Record of Ragnarok anime is now not available in India. Although the release date was official for all regions, it hasn't released in India yet. The controversy has pushed the streaming platform to not hurt sentiments and has avoided the release of the anime as of now.  

Even before the changes in the trailer took place, the controversy was first started in the US. In October 2020, the controversy manifested in the United States. As per CBR, Rajan Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, issued a statement where he criticized the manga for its portrayal of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The manga is written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and illustrated by Ajichika. He further claimed that such form of media only misrepresents the teachings of Hindu, presenting a version of them that is, at best, inaccurate and at worst, hurtful. There is a scene in the series that will show the Shiva as a brutal powerhouse against Thor and Rajan is afraid that people who are not aware of Hinduism will create a false image about the said God. 

IMAGE: Still From Record of Ragnarok trailer